2 THE FLYING CAT

CHAPTER 2 THE FLYING CAT If you're like most of our readers, you're probably wondering where we get all the ideas for our books from. Well, sometimes we think them up. Other times they are based on stuff that actually happened. Like this book for instance. It all started one morning when I got up and went down to get some breakfast.

Are you penguins mocking me? Terry was already in the kitchen. He was painting a cat. And when I say "painting a cat," I don't mean he was painting a picture of a cat. He was painting an actual cat! Bright yellow!

"This might be a stupid question, Terry," I said, "but why are you painting that cat bright yellow?" "Because I'm turning it into a canary," he answered.

Up Cloud Down I started to explain to Terry that you can't turn a cat into a canary just by painting it yellow but he said, "Yes, you can—watch this!" and carried the dripping cat to the edge of the deck. "No!" I yelled, as Terry held the cat out in mid- air...and let it go. But I needn't have worried. The cat didn't fall. Two little wings popped out of its back, and then it tweeted and flew away.

"See?" said Terry, turning to me in triumph. "I told you so!"

THE DAY TERRY TVRNED A CAT INTO A CANARY